CHRISTMAS ISLAND, Australia (Reuters) - Australia on Saturday said New Zealand and the Pacific island of Nauru had agreed to take in hundreds of asylum seekers stranded on a Norwegian cargo ship in the Indian Ocean for the past six days. (Read photo caption below)The deal ends a diplomatic stalemate over the fate of the mainly Afghan boat people who Australia and Indonesia had flatly refused to accept despite intense international pressure.
``I am announcing today that we have reached agreement with the governments of New Zealand and Nauru for processing of the people rescued by the MV Tampa,'' Australian Prime Minister John Howard told a news conference in Sydney.
Howard said 150 of the 433 asylum seekers, probably family groups, would go to New Zealand and the rest to Nauru where their claims for refugee status would be processed. Those heading for New Zealand will land in Auckland at the Manger refugee reception facility.
``Those found to be genuine refugees in New Zealand would remain there,'' Howard said, adding those found to be refugees in Nauru could apply to come to Australia or other countries.
``In the case of Nauru, Australia will of course accept completely and without any qualification the total cost of funding the operation so that in no way will Nauru be disadvantaged by what has been offered and accepted by Australia,'' Howard said.
The agreement follows a six-day standoff over the freighter, the Tampa, which rescued the boat people from a sinking Indonesian ferry last Sunday and was forced to carry them to the remote Australian outpost, Christmas Island.
Australia refused to let the immigrants ashore, taking a tough stance against a rising tide of illegal entrants -- and Indonesia refused to take any responsibility despite being the last port of embarkation.
Human rights groups and other governments around the world condemned Australia for showing a lack of compassion, but Howard firmly stood his ground -- while trying frantically to patch together a diplomatic solution.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Norwegian Ambassador to Australia Ove Thorsheim, center, is helped by members of Australian Army's Special Air Services (S.A.S.) Commandos to get on board a rubber boat which will take him to 'Tampa' freighter in Christmas Island , Australia, Friday, August 31, 2001. Australia has asked United Nations officials on East Timor if they can process the asylum applications of 460 refugees stranded on the Nowegian ship off Christmas Island. The ship rescued on Monday over 400 refugees from a sinking Indonesian ferry. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)